How to Play in a Blackjack Tournament

Winning a blackjack tournament requires money management, because the person with the most money at the end wins. In general, you always want to be the last to act so that your bet is made with the maximum amount of information.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Airline Tickets

1. Go to the tournament organizer's table or booth in the casino or card club.
2. Get your seating assignment.
3. Find out if the tournament is one in which you're competing against all players at all tables or just competing against the other players at your own table.
4. Take your seat.
5. Count the amount of chips given to you by the dealer. Make sure it's correct.
6. Listen to the dealer recite the rules of the tournament and the betting structure.
7. Play with the objective to advance to the next round or go broke. Figure out how much you need to win to advance to the next round or win the tournament.
8. Avoid getting stuck with chips you cannot bet, like $2.50 chips when the minimum bet is $10. Don't make $15 bets in this case.
9. Count cards (see "How to Count Cards," under Related eHows).
10. Make small bets on zero or negative counts. Make large bets on positive counts.
11. Bet proportionally until the last 10 hands or 10 minutes.
12. Bet the maximum on the last hand if you aren't the chip leader.
13. Bet the minimum required to maintain your winning position if you are the chip leader.

Tips & Warnings

• Players are either invited to blackjack tournaments or register in advance through the mail or by telephone. Sometimes tournament organizers will let you register on the day of the tournament.
• Bet the maximum all the time if you're in a winner-take-all tournament.